Laying It to Rest
by Bobolac
Summary: Squalo likes to antagonize Dino...and hints of the past are dragged to the forefront, begging for closure. SD, mentions of XS and D18.


**Title:** Laying it to Rest  
**Rating:** PG-15/R?  
**Character/Pairing/s:** (Dino)/Squalo/Dino, mentions of Xanxus/Squalo, D18  
**Warnings/Spoilers:** No real spoilers, methinks. A bit of a language warning, as it _is_ Squalo after all. And an OOC warning for Squalo, just in case.  
**Word Count:** 1,483  
**Summary:** Squalo likes to antagonize Dino...and hints of the past are dragged to the forefront, begging for closure.  
**A/N: **Aaaaah, why is Squalo so hard to write? I hope I got him okay--a good mix of vulgar in there? It all feels a little split personality to me TT Oh well...I still kinda like it. X3 The first on my request list, and my first D/S/D-y thing. Somehow managed to get the D18 in there (sorry, couldn't keep out my OTP! XD) and the splash of X/S.

"Hey…remember that time I won those goldfish at the street fair?" Voice lilting freely in his native tongue, Dino leaned back onto the couch, one arm swung over the back, toward his companion. Squalo was close to strangling the pretty-boy's neck. He'd been at this for hours, ever since Dino had "convinced"— read: _kidnapped_— him to come back to Italy on a pretentious Cavallone jet. He lowered his voice to a growl, flicking his head slightly to shift the bangs hanging aggravatingly in his eyes.

"Yeah, I remember. They died after what, one day? How the fuck you manage to take care of that stupid turtle is beyond me. Useless." Squalo used the opportunity to inch away from the outstretched arm moving ever closer to him. What the hell? Was Cavallone looking for a goddamn cuddle? 'Cause he wasn't gonna get it from him, that's for sure. He'd have more fun cuddling a fucking cactus.

"Heey, don't insult Enzio. You're terrible. He loves you!" As if on cue, the turtle gave a nip at Squalo's thigh. The damn thing had the nerve to not even flinch at his death-stare-of-impending-doom. Well, to be honest, it was Xanxus' look, but Squalo still thought he had it down well enough to scare a stupid _turtle_.

And while he was paying all that attention to the damn turtle, Dino had managed to wind his arm around Squalo's shoulders. Silver hair whipping sharply, Squalo turned on the blonde with a snarl.

"Oooi! What the hell d'you think you're doing?" He snapped, the beast beginning to show. Infuriating Dino merely gave a lingering smile, fingers playing gently at the collar of his shirt.

"Nothing…" He tilted his head slightly, eyeing him. "Just remembering." Squalo's eyes narrowed.

"Oh yeah?" He grumbled, feeling the warmth of Dino's arm radiate against him. He hated this. He wasn't used to this. He was much more willing to take Xanxus and his "affection" via abuse than Dino's outright loving care. Touchy-feely wasn't his thing. I mean, hell, the thought of liking such a thing was disgusting. Evidently Dino found him endearing regardless, if the ever-closing distance betweens them was indicative of anything.

Dino's fingers ventured out to play with a strand of silvery hair, taking the risk of loosing one or many of his appendages. "Mmm." The noise rumbled in his chest, warm eyes flitting over Squalo's face. "About back then." A quirky half smile passed over his features, voice lowering slightly for his ears alone. Dino, even though 99.9 of the time one of the most idiotic, incapable bastards…he was still undeniably arousing.

Squalo whapped a hand at the fingers, not willing to give into this little…_game_ Dino was playing. Like he actually wanted to reminisce about 'back then', when they were different—when everything was different. Like hell he wanted things to go back to that. He was happy where he was, and he thought Dino was the same. What the fuck's with the damn nostalgia? The kid had to be drunk or something. Too friendly—unnervingly friendly.

"What happened to your little killing machine, hnn? You two have a fight?" Squalo knew he was heading into something he shouldn't. But hell, he was Superbi Squalo—did he really give a fuck what he should and shouldn't do?

Dino's eyes narrowed lightly, fingers fisting slightly in the fabric of his shirt. Oh yes, he was testing the Cavallone boss—obviously Dino and his little boy-toy had a falling out. Clearly it was affecting Dino's psyche. It was oh-so entertaining to get a rise out of the good-natured man.

"It's none of your business, but nothing is wrong with Kyoya. He's…traveling. Research." The tone held a hint of defensiveness with a dash of remorse. Maybe Dino had become more interesting through the years—at leave enough to keep his interest for the moment.

"Aaah, so the runt finally realized his mistake and left you behind. Should have happened years ago. Bet you just fucked up and that was the last straw. Kid realized that he wanted a lover and not a goddamn puppy following him about. About time."

Squalo watched as Dino riled, as he rose to the bait. He loved this feeling of power—Dino hardly ever showed this level of emotion. Squalo was doing one of those things he'd learned to do best from his Boss—find a nerve, an errant emotion, and stomp on it until it erupted. Squalo'd always lived with his emotions right on his sleeve, ready to fling at anyone who dared cross him—so why not make everyone else do the same?

Fingers gripped at Squalo's shoulder, near bruising. He'd forgotten the blonde's hidden strength. Grinning, Squalo cocked a brow at the silently fuming man. For that moment, he could understand the satisfaction Xanxus got from squashing him under foot. Dino's voice was a powerfully low growl when he spoke, face far too close to Squalo's.

"Don't _ever_ talk about Kyoya like you know him. Don't you _dare_ assume. You've crossed the line, Squalo." A twinkle sparked in Squalo's eyes—the challenge had been thrust forward. He'd managed to enrage Dino, taking blatant advantage of his emotions. He'd get a nice battle out of this one. This time, for once, the Cavallone boss would fight him seriously—honor was on the line.

By the end, they were cut up and bruised, sweaty and panting on the floors of a once immaculate Cavallone sitting room. Squalo grinned manically, wondering if he could fit in another punch before he passed out. Fighting with Dino was too satisfying. It was like…hmm…like releasing a vat of sexual tension. It wasn't quite as violent as his usual form of release, but it would do.

Before he could protest, Dino leaned his forearms heavily on Squalo's chest. His brow was still caught in a deep furrow, staring down at the silver haired man in dark contemplation—like a Cavallone version of the Japanese boy-toy. Moving like a flash, Dino caught Squalo's lip between his teeth, biting to draw blood.

"Oii!" Squalo protested, a half growl in his throat. What the hell did the kid think he was doing? Dino gave a growl back, before leaning forward and devouring Squalo's mouth. It seemed a little work out did more than just rile up the Cavallone Don.

And in that brief moment, memories flooded back to Squalo's mind—rough, dominating kisses, all teeth and tongue, taking Dino in secret school closets, all hot, sticky sweat, awkward movements and shuddered breath. It wasn't love—oh anything but. It was pure, unbridled need—Dino's need for attention, for any form of affection from the silver haired boy, and Squalo's unadulterated need to dominate, control, and fulfill his primal urges with the strikingly handsome blonde.

As Dino pulled back, closure was evident in his features. A soft hint of satisfaction, and a slight, knowing smile crossed his face—the same one he used to wear after Squalo had made him scream and writhe and cry out his name. But Squalo realized that this face wasn't for him anymore. Their unsaid goodbye from all those years ago hung in the air. They could do it right now—fuck like madmen, desperate and frantic, like they always used to. But Dino knew now, like he did then, that Squalo was thinking of someone else, and Squalo realized that it wasn't he who Dino struggled to hold onto anymore.

Dino was the first to break the awkward silence, as always. With a simple smile and a chaste kiss, he shifted off of Squalo, sitting gingerly on the ground. Scratching the back of his head, he gave a half smile, silently apologetic. With a sharp flutter of laughter he looked over at Squalo.

"Guess things got a little out of hand?" He smiled lightly. All was forgotten—or so they would make it seem. That chapter of their life was now closed, but not thrown away. Lines were drawn in the sand—once lovers, perhaps always lovers, in some way. But their lives were inherently different now. Squalo had someone he would follow to the ends of the earth, through the fire, and Dino had someone he would chase for the rest of his life, if only for the glimmer of a chance of truly catching him.

Squalo's hand whipped out, half heartedly smacking the blonde's head. Even a coldhearted fuck like himself couldn't stay completely mad at Dino Cavallone. "Shit. Next time, don't leave so many goddamn cuts and bruises. Boss'll think I've gone soft."

Dino's smile brightened. Things were going to be alright with them. "Oh, we can't have that, can we?" Squalo retaliated with a full-fledged whap to the side of the head. Dino yelped lightly, rubbing the spot. Alright, so things hadn't changed _monumentally_.

After all, things could only change so much between two people—and however fucked and complex Dino and Squalo's relationship might be, it suited them both just fine.

* * *

a/n: I pin Dino's come-on as distraught emotion? Like he once may have done?  
Makessenseplease? -mangled keyboard mashing of failz-

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End file.
